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State Representative Barb Yarusso
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0141
For more information contact: Susie Merthan 651-296-2955
E-Update
2013 Session Update: Jobs, environment and public safety finance legislation
Dear Neighbors,
Most Committees have completed their work and we are now debating and passing major budget bills on the House floor. I want to provide you an update on our work over the past week.
On Monday, The House passed bipartisan Jobs and Economic Development legislation to grow new jobs and strengthen our economy. A large part of this bill includes the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF), which helps to attract new businesses to set up shop in Minnesota. This is an excellent way to leverage public dollars to attract private investment. Other initiatives in the bill include a $350 million tax cut for employers (about $150 per employee) and a FastTRAC program to provide training to those looking to start or grow their own business. It also includes an important program championed by our neighbor, Representative Isaacson, the Job-based education and apprenticeship program. This will provide on-site manufacturing career training at colleges and universities across the state, and will target veterans, the disabled, and other groups. These initiatives use a variety of approaches to create new jobs and bring economic growth to Minnesota.
Thursday, the House passed the Omnibus Environment, Natural Resources, and Agricultural Finance bill. This was a hot topic in the Environment Policy Committee, on which I serve. Groundwater is running low in many communities around the state. In Worthington, for example, they are paying to pump in water from Iowa. White Bear Lake water levels are down 25% and continue to drop. This water shortage is due in part to diminishing water in the aquifers that supply wells in these communities—commercial, agricultural and residential. In Shoreview, Turtle Lake is another notable example of falling water levels.
The bill appropriates money to the Department of Natural Resources to install and maintain monitoring wells all around the state. We currently have some monitoring wells, but not enough to adequately track water levels that may be dropping. This issue is increasingly important as the aquifer which supplies water to a large portion of the Twin Cities Metro Area is projected to be insufficient in a few decades. These monitoring wells will help the DNR to properly assess Minnesota’s water levels and to find cost-effective ways for communities to provide water in the future.
On Friday, the House passed the Public Safety Omnibus Finance bill on a bipartisan vote of 122-7. The bill includes funds for sex offender treatment, support for Youth Intervention Programs, improves our forensics labs, trains law enforcement for human trafficking investigations and gives the Department of Corrections resources to maintain basic agency operations – including supervision of offenders in the community. These measures will help to keep our corrections system running smoothly and keep our streets safe.
The bill also funds the School Safety Center to assess threats and hazards to Minnesota schools, while providing training, conducting exercises, and assisting schools with safety improvements. The safety center provides assistance to schools in the case of an emergency.
I want to thank all of you who have contacted me throughout this session with your input on various legislative issues. I appreciate hearing from you. Please continue to contact me with your views. We will frequently be on the House floor, and you can also watch these discussions live through this House link: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/mnhouse.asx.
Sincerely,
Barb Yarusso
News Items
- 2013 Session Update: Legislative Wrap-Up - (Posted: May 30 2013 4:52PM)
- 2013 Session Update: Jobs, Higher Education, Public Safety and Health and Human Services bills pass - (Posted: May 17 2013 10:11PM)
- 2013 Session Update: House passes anti-bullying and minimum wage legislation - (Posted: May 7 2013 8:54AM)
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